NPC Luncheon with Adm. Karl Schultz

As climate change continues to erode seasonal ice coverage in the Arctic, access through the Northwest Passage continues to expand, opening up greater possibilities for scientific exploration and international trade. With just two aging icebreaker vessels currently capable of navigating this expanding frontier (compared with Russia’s fleet of 41 icebreaking ships), the U.S. Coast Guard has made continued pleas to Congress to appropriate adequate funds to build a new heavy polar ship and expand America’s polar icebreaker fleet. On December 6, 2018, Admiral Karl L. Schultz, the 26th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, delivered an address on the importance of stepping up America’s presence in the Arctic as a measure of national security at a National Press Cub Headliners Luncheon.